Nowruz Cards

Bahai Celebrations

Bahai celebration takes place on a number of occasions. According to the Bahai calendar, there are 19 months and every month has 19 days. So, there are 361 days in total. The most prominent of all these celebrations is Naw-Ruz, also known as Bahai New Year. This occasion is special because after fasting for a couple of days (19 days), people return to their normal routine.

Given below are the different occasions on which the Bahai celebration takes place.

Important days for Bahai Celebration

Celebrations don't always mean that there are fun filled and exciting moments always. On several occasions, celebrations include serene moments, prayer services, observing traditional customs, and recalling the spiritual gurus of Bahai faith.

Race Unity Day

The founder of Bahai Faith Baha'u'llah urged people to dissolve racial and communal disparities and treat everyone as one.

In order to promote this theory, Race Unity Day was observed for the first time in the year 1957 by National Spiritual Assembly to bring about understanding and better racial harmony. This is observed in the month of June on 2nd Sunday.

Bahai New Year

Bahai New Year is celebrated on the day of spring or vernal equinox, usually on March 21st. It is also known as Naw-Ruz. Celebrations include buying new clothes, visiting friends and relatives, exchanging gifts, and preparing traditional food.

Few of the traditional celebrations include decorating the table with the seven S. The seven S are symbolic and they include coins, hyacinths, sumac berries, vinegar, garlic, apples, and wheat.

Another tradition is of allowing lentils to sprout in a dish. Once they are sprouted, they are thrown into river thereby symbolizing that the evil and bad luck of the previous year is got rid of.

Festival of Ridvan

Bahai celebration pertaining to Festival of Ridvan takes place between April 21st and May 2nd. This festival is significant as Baha'u'llah, who is the Founder of Bahai Faith lived in Ridvan or garden in Baghdad (Iraq). During this period, He declared himself as God's messenger. April 21st, April 29th, and May 2nd are off days when offices and other organizations remain closed. This festival is also known as King of Festivals or Most Great Festival.

Intercalary Days or Ayyam-i-Ha

Celebrations related to Ayyam-i-Ha takes place between February 26th and March 1st. This is the period when people gear up for the 19 days of fasting that commences on March 2nd.

Celebrations on these days include gathering for social meetings, enjoying with friends and peer, giving away alms, indulging in charitable activities, and exchanging goodies.

Other Holy Days

In addition to the special days mentioned above, there are few other days when the Bahai people celebrate. Let us find out why celebrations take place on these days.

Birth of BaB

Birth of Bab is celebrated on October 20th. Work remains suspended on this day.

Martyrdom of Bab

artyrdom of Bab is observed on July 9th. On this day Bab was killed.

Ascension of Baha'u'llah

Observed on the occasion of the death anniversary of Baha'u'llah on May 29th.

World Religion Day

Bahai celebrations are also related to World Religion Day. It is observed in the month of January on the 3rd Sunday.

Birth of Baha'u'lla

The birthday of Baha'u'llah is celebrated on November 12th. The founder was born in Tehran (Iran, earlier Persia) in the year 1817 on November 12th.

The Bahai people celebrate in their own way on all the occasions mentioned above. Unlike other holy days, Bahai observe their special days as per lunar and solar calendar.